The Frugal Bond Returns

I am a big believer that if you have the means, the outfits and brands, Bond wears are the ones to get. They often are of a higher value in both investment and construction. That being said, we don鈥檛 all have Mi6鈥檚 unlimited expense account and through the years the Frugal Bond articles and videos have been appreciated by everyone, whether they have the means or not.

SkyFall offers us a wonderful opportunity since some of the actual brands could be thought of as Frugal Bond brands. Cos, Zara, PTI jackets, and even Dents gloves won鈥檛 break the bank, but BR, Levis Vintage Line, and Barbour may be too much for some.

We are working on some very special Frugal Bond videos in a new format I know you will love.

In the meantime, what Frugal Bond items have you found? Share below with others.

I will start the ball rolling! Here is a jacket that mimics the Enjoying Death Levis jacket. Would need some distressed, sand paper, fire etc..but it fits the bill:

David, great find sir! I actually noticed the Old Navy has been going “all out Bond” recently. They have the Shawl Collar Cardigan in Navy Blue per the Tom Ford. Also they have a nice rugged coat resembling the Barbour KiToKi. It’s not waxed, but has rugged appeal to it; also I think you can remove the “fur” on the lined hood. I also found a distressed leather coat on eBay. Has the brown distressed look and more like a mechanic’s jacket.

I’d love to get the real Tom Ford stuff, but with two little kids and another on the way, my wife insists I use it for a “college fund”. I mean really? Can’t they just learn how to play golf, tennis, or run track and get scholarships?? 馃槢

I picked up that Club Monaco shawl cardigan as soon as I saw it- it’s a great piece albeit not very comfortable. It is only part wool (the other part being synthetic) but it certainly is warm and resembles the Tom Ford- though with a thicker shawl.

Looks great with a white t, Aqua Terra, and a pair of levis though (to mix my Bond references).

Great site David! Thank you! I realize that I’m about 4 years late to the party on this one, but I recently purchased a black shawl cardigan at Saks for $200. I was fortunate enough to catch a sale and walked out the door with it for $120. If there is a sweater that is closer to the TF cardigan than this one, I would like to see it. I hope this bit of info helps all my fellow Bond afficionados who would like to preserve their children’s college fund for its intended purpose.
Best to everyone!

hell all, im currently in afghanistan till the end of jan, my fear is, the H&M alternative shirt will all be sold, is any member willing to purchase me the shirt and post to my UK address, ill of course pay all the fees and PnP costs,

First of all, please excuse my bad english, need to work on it a bit more…

but I like this blog alot. Unfortunately I don麓t have money to collect all the bond items I like, but I keep on searching for nice replicas or stuff that look similar. I麓m looking forward to own a Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Skyfall-Edition one time, but I don麓t have money yet. I was searching for a long time to find a qualitatively good and not sooo expensive alternative to a “bond watch” like the Omega麓s. So I think I found a nice one though… DAVOSA Argonautic Ceramic.

if your looking for a good quality budget watch,, have a look at the “sandoz Submariner ” on ebay,, cheaper than what you found, and if you add a zulu watch trap.. is a good alternative to the connery era Rolex,

Have you guys thought about Hamilton watche? the are featured in the movies, and they are decently priced with many sites like amazon offering them at a decent discount, for example Felix L, in QoS wears one, and so does Mathis too. This way you get a time piece and a bond collectible all at the same time.

I was wondering what Daniel Craig wore under his Madagascar shirt at the start of ‘Casino Royale’. To me it looks like the grey Sunspel one he wears in the Miami Airport scene, and I also wanted to know if anyone knew a simliar belt to the one he is wearing in that scene.

The best part is it’s on SALE! I picked up mine in store for just 拢42!
I bought one for myself and one for my brother. Only a few sizes remain.
The Derby store and the one in Newcastle Upon Tyne I had just a few left in stoke.

I’ve considered added the leather trim to the pockets and the back of the collar to make it look closer to the on-screen one.

My friend Rich managed to pick me up the H&M budget ‘Enjoying Death Shirt’ from the H&M in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

I also have picked up a budget black V neck from Burtons for just 拢20.

I’ve put the MI6 training top on order but have requested a plain as I’ll get the logo added myself.

I came across this coat from Banana Republic which is similar in some ways to the Barbour jacket Bond wears in Scotland. The jacket is not inexpensive but it certainly doesn’t hit Barbour heights. Unfortunately, I am not sure if it is available outside of Europe.

Thanks David et al. Nice place to look for links to more affordable gear.

There are two approaches to this I think. One, save up for your favorite authentic item (for me, I surfed eBay for months before finally bidding and winning a flawless Omega Seamaster, circa 1998, got it for $1100– great watch, wear it everyday at work, dressing up, etc. Only take it off for gym, and even then I sometimes forget and, oh well, it looks great and is made for action, anyway! It’s a real legacy piece that I can give to one of my sons someday…)

OR two, pick a scene and look for affordable gear that most closely re-creates this. For instance, I’m currently working on the Shanghai bar scene outfit with black V-neck sweater, white shirt, black tie, grey pants and the right shoes… but for me, I might tweak the scene a bit with a black cardigan instead of the V-neck. The key is to capture the style of the moment and bring it together in your own daily life. I’ll wear that outfit into my casual business work environment, and will enjoy the moment!

Hi fellow TBE fans,
Have to let you all know that there are replica Orlebar Brown bathers from Industrie for only approx. $60 (Australian). I picked them up from a Live surf shop in Western Australia.
I don’t have a link address at this time, when I find it I’ll post it.

Just purchased the Levi’s Vintage Clothing1930s Distressed-Leather Jacket from http://www.mrporter.com cost me 拢637.00 and should be delivered tomorrow. Woohoo I have also pre-ordered the Barbour x Tokihito – Beacon Heritage ‘Skyfall’ Sports Jacket I managed to get the last one available to pre-order 拢399.95..

Can’t wait to get them .. I will be wearing theses items and not hanging them up i a special room to stroke from time to time

Sorry I just realized my last post was not very frugal at all.. Pardon my showing off.
To make amends here is a cool site where you can have a copy of the Daniel Craig Skyfall Leather Jacket Made as per your measurements or select from our Ready Sizing options.

Hi guys, been doing some digging myself and found this sight, a few things for you guys…for watches around the 拢100-150 mark, try Rotary on Amazon; I’ve got a Rotary and swear by it. The best alternative I’ve found to the Skyfall Barbour is the Barbour Gladwell which isn’t exactly cheap, but less than half of the X to Ki. John White shoes (I found some in the tailor’s “Moss”) are really nice, good quality, shame about the rubber soles. I have had the “Enjoying Death” chinos since last sunmer and love them, get yourself down there, they’re only 拢20/25, no excuse not too! I’ve found that the best place for polos is “Howick”, who retails through “House of Fraser”, which is also a good place to pick up knitwear like your QoS TF cardigans and Shanghai v-necks.

P.S. Someone asked about the Skyfall mansion corduroys, they are All Saints Iggy Corduane jeans, dyed that colour by the costume department.

Also @ Matthew, I owned the exact watch you are looking at, it says it is a diver watch but the screw down crown doesn’t make any difference at all. I snorkeled with it once and it had entirely filled up with water. If you buy it, don’t even wear it in the shower.

@ Matthew
Don’t waste your money on an invicta, I have owned two of them and had both of them die after just over a year and neither of them were cheap. Invicta has bad customer service, no warranty, and cost a fortune to have fixed independently. What I did was shopped around for a while and found a sale on Citizen watches and found a diver style watch that is a good bond look alike, that cost me the price of the two invictas but has a five year manufacturer warranty and a two year retailer warranty. I am much happier with the citizen, it isn’t as flashy but works flawlessly and keeps perfect time.

Okay…another discovery guys. I use a Chinese online wholesaler called Aliexpress.com to purchase some household items and fancy dresses for my daughter.

In the search tool, I entered “Skyfall” for the heck of it. I found about 30+ listings for knock-off Skyfall Omega watches, but one item piqued my interest: a replica of the Skyfall Barbour coat! I contacted the seller, and she said if they receive enough interest, they will start producing. The price listed is around $210, but she said it would probably be dropped a bit. The seller’s rating is very good for Ali Express as well.

I’m willing to be the first to try it out and post a review. Here is the link:

Hey, I think your website might be having browser compatibility
issues. When I look at your blog site in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer,
it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick
heads up! Other then that, terrific blog!

David et al, New Barbour jacket available for pre-order – to ship mid June. Based on Skyfall jacket but without detachable hood. Otherwise very close. $531 plus tax and shipping. Marketed under Commander line, Dept B. Obviously not authentic but cheaper than any of the Skyfall jackets online now.

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Those looking for a suitable substitute for the Sunspel “Thunderball” trunks J Crew offers this which is very close. They did have one that was in a cotton/poly blend which I thought was actually closer to the actual trunks in the photo of Connery and probably more consistent with the material blend(s) that would have been used in the 1960’s, (which is the one I picked up) but it seems they have since sold out

Hey great resource you guys got here. Still looking for a great alternative to the Billy Ried peocoat. I mean i’ve been putting money to the side for it in preparation for fall but if I can save a couple bucks why the heck not.

I bought a really nice, standard peacoat at Joseph A Banks here in the States. Can’t exactly remember the price, probably $200 or so but as you may know JAB has those ridiculous “buy one get three” sales all the time so at least pick up some additional pieces with it. Nicely fitted. Of course it won’t have the Billy Reid quality and touches (esp the collar highlight…) but it’s a very serviceable coat and I wear it over button down shirts with or without sweater.

Hi, firstly great site. Secondly you are a great guy.
I’d like to know if anyone knows of a copy or of a real skyfall Barbour jacket that is around 拢100 I really don’t have enough money for the real thing I’d love just a copy, thanks for any info!